4 Traits of a Successful Project Manager

Project management is an art, as any book on it would say. It is true to a certain degree. But with common sense and practicality, any project manager can become successful in their profession. In this post, let’s look at some traits of a successful manager.

Trust

Trusting people doesn’t come easy. But once you learn this habit and put it into effective practice, the benefits are tremendous. People deliver their best when they are given responsibility and trusted on it.

But keep these in mind:

Trust right people for right qualities

Don’t “over” trust. A periodic checkpoint is good and makes sure that your trust is still valid

Remember, delegation still keeps you responsible as a manager. So delegate wisely

Respect

Respect is important not just in a team or an organization, but in every aspect of life. Learn this simple but healthy habit of respecting people.

Respect comes from a fundamental understanding that everyone of us is different. We have our own mind and we have our own ideas and principles. This is true to every member of your team as well.

Just because everyone in your team must work towards a common goal, does not mean everyone must do it exactly the same way.

As a manager, it is your responsibility to respect people, understand their differences and mutually align them towards the project goals.

Coach

Only in an Utopian world, you will get a team full of perfectionists and top performers. Even in such an ideal setup, getting these top performers deliver a successful project as a team is a daunting task.

This means that coaching team members whenever required becomes an essential trait of a Project manager. When I say this, I am assuming that you have a strong control over your team with respect to their training and performance.

Also, personally the ability to coach others transforms you from being a Project manager into a Leader. Be the leader your team needs!

Collaboration

I have seen managers with excellent people management and delivery skills but they never collaborate with their team.

Here are some signs to identify a non-collaborative manager:

Delegate tasks, give deadlines and never follow up until the final moment

Either closed or neutral to ideas and suggestions from team members

Does not get involved in solving critical problems

Does not involve the team in the decision making process

These are just a few examples, but I am sure the point it made.

Never be a manager who doesn’t collaborate with his team. It is detrimental in the long term.

In summary, it is still true that good Project management is an art. But definitely there are some tangible ways to improve and be that artist.